The federal government will be closed tomorrow

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Washington shut down U.S. federal
government offices on Monday, while New York prepared for a
normal workday following the worst snowstorm in decades to ravage
the U.S. East Coast, as residents of both cities frolicked in the
freak snowfall.

Midtown Manhattan came back to life on a bright and sunny Sunday
as residents and tourists rejoiced in the warming sunlight,
digging out buried cars, heading to Broadway shows and cavorting
in massive drifts left by New York City's second-biggest
snowstorm in history.

In Washington, where a traffic ban was still in effect, the
recovery got off to a slower start, with the entire transit
system closed through Sunday. The Office of Personnel Management
said federal government offices in the Washington area will be
closed on Monday, along with local government offices and
schools.

Even so, many people were out in the street. Some skied and
snowboarded down the steps of the Lincoln Memorial until security
officials moved them on.

The entire region seemed to breathe a sigh of relief after the
historic storm that left at least 20 dead in several states.

"For us, snow is like a normal winter," said Viola Rogacka, 21, a
fashion model from Poland, walking with a friend through New
York's Times Square. "It's how it should look like."

Theater shows reopened on Broadway after the blizzard forced them
to go dark on Saturday on the recommendation of New York Mayor
Bill de Blasio.

"We still have some areas that we have to do a lot more work on.
But we've come through it pretty well," de Blasio said on ABC's
"This Week." "I think tomorrow is going to be pretty good. We
think we'll be broadly up and running again at the city
tomorrow."

HISTORIC STORM

The blizzard was the second-biggest snowstorm in New York City
history, with 26.8 inches (68 cm) of snow in Central Park by
midnight on Saturday, just shy of the record 26.9 inches (68.3
cm) set in 2006, the National Weather Service said.

Thirteen people were killed in weather-related car crashes in
Arkansas, North Carolina, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia
on Saturday. One person died in Maryland and three in New York
while shoveling snow. Two died of hypothermia in Virginia, and
one from carbon monoxide poisoning in Pennsylvania, officials
said.

Reinsurer Munich Re said it was too early to estimate losses from
the storm.

New York state Governor Andrew Cuomo lifted a travel ban on New
York City-area roads and on Long Island at 7 a.m. (1200 GMT) on
Sunday. A state of emergency declared by Cuomo was still in
place.

Most bus and subway services operated by the Metropolitan
Transportation Authority were up and running again by 9 a.m.
(1400 GMT), officials said. The agency was working on restoring
full service on Sunday.

The Metro-North rail line, which serves suburbs north and east of
New York City, was restored on Sunday afternoon and was operating
on a Sunday schedule. Service remained suspended on the Long
Island Rail Road.

Commuters who rely on the Long Island Rail Road to get to work on
Monday may need to look for alternatives as the railroad works to
restore service. Crews were working on Sunday to remove snow from
an intersection near train tunnels to Manhattan.

A spokeswoman for the New York Stock Exchange said the market
planned to open as usual on Monday. City schools also were set to
open on Monday.

On the Upper West Side of Manhattan, grocery store shoppers
picked their way through brown slush and over compressed snow and
ice as they balanced their bags in their hands.

Drivers tried their best to free cars that were encased in snow,
but often found themselves spinning their wheels as they tried to
get on the road.

Outside the city, suburban New Jersey resembled Vermont.

"I'm not sure where I am right now because of all the snow," said
Patty Orsini, 56, a marketing analyst from Maplewood, New Jersey,
at the nearby South Mountain Reservation. "It's nice to be out
today in the sun. Yesterday it was scary to be outside," she said
as she clipped on her cross-country skis.

RECORDS SET

Snowplow
trucks work on the roads as the snow begins to fall in
WashingtonThomson
Reuters

The National Weather Service said 22.4 inches (57 cm) fell in
Washington at the National Zoo, and Baltimore-Washington
International Airport notched a record 29.2 inches (74.2 cm). The
deepest regional total was 42 inches (106.7 cm) at Glengarry,
West Virginia.

Washington, which has a poor track record in dealing with snow,
seemed unready for a return to its Monday routine after its
largest snowstorm in decades, with major airports, public buses
and subways completely shut down all Sunday. Metro trains will
begin limited service starting at 7 a.m. on Monday.

Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser earlier issued a public apology
for commuting headaches caused by the blizzard, which locals
dubbed "Snowzilla." She said crews had worked all night and
Sunday on plowing main roads and were just now getting to
secondary roadways and neighborhoods.

Public schools were closed on Monday across much of the
Washington and Baltimore region, with some shuttered through
Tuesday. All federal government offices will be closed on Monday
and the U.S. House of Representatives canceled its voting until
Feb. 1 and the Pentagon canceled all its events.

Nevertheless, walkers, sledders, some cars and the occasional
cross-country skier ventured into the dazzling white under a
bright sun.

Paul Schaaf, a 49-year-old helicopter pilot for Children's
Hospital in Washington, was biking 7-1/2 miles (12 km) to work
for his overnight shift and planned to bike back to Arlington,
Virginia, on Monday morning.

"I have to get into work no matter what. And the best way to do
it is on my bicycle with steel-studded snow tires," he said.
"Nothing stops me."

One Washington food store, Broad Branch Market, opened with a
handful of employees, and was trying to organize volunteers to
shovel the sidewalks of the elderly and others who needed help.

"I have a lot of people on the list but I have yet to have any
kids sign up to work today," said owner Tracy Stannard.

At Dupont Circle, hundreds gathered to pelt each other with
snowballs. Jomel Nichols, a tourist from Kansas City, Missouri,
accompanying three exchange students and her daughter, was
plastered with snow.

"They all turned on me, as teenagers will do," she told Reuters
Television.

FLIGHTS CANCELED

A
worker makes his way toward a plane parked at Reagan National
Airport in Washington D.C.ReutersREUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

More than 3,900 flights were canceled on Sunday, and some 900
were called off for Monday, according to aviation website
FlightAware.com.

Among New York-area airports, John F. Kennedy International,
Newark Liberty and LaGuardia were open, with limited flight
activity expected on Sunday, the Port Authority of New York and
New Jersey said.

About 150,000 customers in North Carolina and 90,000 in New
Jersey lost electricity during the storm but most service had
been restored by Sunday afternoon.

On Sunday, moderate coastal flooding was still a concern in the
Jersey Shore's Atlantic County, said Linda Gilmore, a county
public information officer.

(Additional reporting by Lisa Lambert and Susan Cornwell in
Washington, David Gaffen, Sam Forgione, Barbara Goldberg and
Robert MacMillan in New York, Brendan O’Brien in Milwaukee;
Writing by Bill Rigby; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Sandra
Maler)

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